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Chilli (Capsicum annuum), which belongs to the family Solanaceae, is an important spice crop cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. A Protocol for chili plant regeneration with hypocotyl and cotyledon explants was established. The study was conducted to observe the effect of genotypes, culture conditions and growth regulators on plant regeneration of chili pepper genotypes (Seedex Pepper (SP), Loungi, Tatapuri, and Sanam) grown in Pakistan including. For both hypocotyl and cotyledon explants, SP was found to be the most sensitive among the tested genotypes tested. Maximum mean callus induction rate of hypocotyl was 76.6% in SP followed by TP (73.3%); Sanam (57.3%); Loungi (43.3%) respectively. Whereas in case of cotyledon maximum inductions rate was found in Loungi (62.0%) followed by SP (60); Sanam (57.3); TP (46) individually. According to the observations maximum plant regeneration was found in genotype SP (9%), followed by Loungi (1.8%); Sanam (1.5%) but no plant regeneration was found in TP. A. tumefaciens LBA4404 with the 35S GFP/pFGC construct were used to evaluate hypocotyl and cotyledon explants for transformation. The effects of co-cultivation at different temperatures (22 and 25oC), photoperiods (16 hours of light, 8 hours of darkness, and full darkness), and co-cultivation periods were studied. GFP assays revealed that the putative transgenic calli were not transformed and died after 40-60 days. The experiment was repeated ten times to see the success rate of the regeneration system. In this study a protocol for chili plant regeneration was developed for callus induction, plant regeneration, and plant transformation. Because developing a viable chilli tissue culture and plant regeneration system is difficult, this study was designed to help develop one. SP was found to be the most suitable among the four genotypes used for regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the Diagnostic accuracy of Kramer's visual assessment of jaundice in term neonates by taking total serum bilirubin levels as a gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Neonatology Department, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, Mar to Sep 2019. Methodology: The study was based on examining and investigating 300 neonates. Kramer scale was used to examine jaundice in all neonates, and results were compared to total serum bilirubin levels. Results: A total of 300 patients were included in this study. The mean bilirubin level was 229.1±74.5mol/L. The sensitivity and specificity of visual assessment of jaundice using the Kramer visual scale were 83.84% and 73.53%, respectively, for neonates who were not jaundiced below the abdomen and thighs included in Kramer zones 1 to 3. Conclusion: Kramer visual assessment can be used as a noninvasive screening method in neonates jaundiced up to the abdomen and thighs, which is included in Kramer zones 1 to 3 but for markedly jaundiced neonates Kramer scale is not a reliable noninvasive method of bilirubin estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare mean platelet volume in neonates with and without sepsis. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jul 2017 to Jan 2018. Methodology: A total of 140 neonates of either gender with ages between 0-28 days, suspected of neonatal sepsis presenting with any two of the signs: a core body temperature of >38.5°C or <36°C at time of presentation, pulse rate beyond the range of 100-200 beats/minute, leukocyte count beyond the range of 4000 to 30,000/mm3 or >10% immature neutrophils on peripheral smear, tachypnea (>60 breaths/minute) and oxygen saturation (<90%) on the pulse oximeter, were included. Three ml of blood was drawn and sent for culture, while another 3ml of blood was sent for peripheral smear and mean platelet volume. Conclusion: Neonates having sepsis were found to have significantly raised mean platelet volume. As a result, mean platelet volume is available in complete blood counts without additional cost to prove cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess correlation of Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index with other biochemical markers such as white cell count, platelet count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and liver function tests in patients of dengue fever for disease severity. Methods: Data was collected from 223 dengue fever patients admitted to a hospital setting in an outbreak of 2022. Binary logistic regressions analysis was employed. AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) was calculated and all parameters were studied to assess their association with the disease severity. Severity of dengue was based on development of complications like bleeding, shock, end organ damage and duration of stay in the hospital. Results: The analysis done by software SPSS version 26.0 showed that 3.6% of the patients were severely ill while 96.4% were non severe with mean duration of stay in the hospital of 4.95 days. Univariate analysis showed ALT and age have positive correlation with disease severity with CI 95% and APRI significant positive correlation was at CI 90%. Multivariate analysis showed age and APRI to have association with disease severity with OR 1.06 and OR 1.16 respectively (p <0.05). Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for APRI was 0.59. Conclusion: In addition to other biochemical parameters APRI can be used as an independent marker of predicting severity of disease in dengue patients thus it can add value in timely management of the dengue patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, a crop variety grown on the commercial scale and under different conditions becomes vulnerable to various kinds of issues involving both biotic and abiotic plant stresses, alone or in combinations. This demands their substitution with new and improved genotypes possessing higher productivity and inherent resistance/tolerance against yield-limiting stresses. In this context, this editorial reports the development of a new chickpea kabuli variety "Noor-2019". This cultivar has improved yield potential, dietary elements (proteins, fat, ash), and more importantly, resistance against fusarium wilt and ascochyta blight compared to the existing varieties. The evolution of this strain commenced in 2002-03 cropping season by crossing K-90399 as a female parent with K-52582 as a male parent. The female parent had high yield potential, whereas the male parent had wilt resistance and was developed through introgression breeding using ILWC-126, an accession of Cicer reticulatum. Henceforth, the genetic variability was created to select for high yield and wilt resistant recombinants in subsequent generations. Resultantly, a uniform and high yielding progeny line PCK-09012, later designated as "Noor-2019" was selected and evaluated for yield, agronomy, and insect pests. This cultivar revealed a potential yield of 2882 kg ha-1 in testing phase and outperformed standard checks by producing 78.2%, 13.1%, and 28.8% higher grain yield in station, adaptation and national uniform yield trials, respectively. The plants of Noor-2019 are 60-65cm tall, semi-erect, and medium in canopy spread. Its grains are light brown, ram-headed, medium in size with a 100-seed weight of 25 g. Adoption of this cultivar across different climatic regions of Punjab, and other provinces could contribute in attaining self-sufficiency in local chickpea production as well as plummeting import bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To assess the infiuence of feeding practices, maternal dietary habits and maternal body mass index (BMI) on growth pattern of breast-fed and formulafed infants. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 50 healthy infants. Twenty-five each breast-fed (BF) and formula-fed (FF) infants along with their mothers were enrolled. The infants' weight, height, BMI, head circumference and skinfolds (biceps and triceps) were recorded. Infant's mother weight, height, BMI, mid-arm circumference and skinfolds were also recorded. The mothers filled 24- hours dietary-recall proforma. The 24-hours dietary-recall was then analyzed by windiet® software. RESULTS: Age of infants was 78.40±35.88 days at time of assessment. Height and weight standard deviation score (SDS) was found to be -2.759±3.10 and - 0.538±2.05 with SDS of BMI was 1.59±2.30. Mean anthropometric measurements between the two groups were not significantly different except for head circumference (BF=38.12±4.46, FF=40.32±2.34; p-value=0.036). BMI and age of 2 mothers were 26.49±4.93 kg/m and 29.54±2.86 years at assessment. Anthropometric analysis of mothers showed an increasing trend of different parameters especially waist circumference (cm) in breast-feeding mothers (lactating=75±15.6, non-lactating=61±18.2, p-value=0.007). Dietary intake of lactating mothers (energy=3032±12 Kcal; % energy intake=125.9±53.3) was more as compared to non-lactating mothers (1878±99 Kcal; % energy intake=78±41.2). Similarly intake of carbohydrates (lactating=414±186, nonlactating= 274±175), fats (lactating=109±60.4, non-lactating=66.6 ± 33.7), proteins (lactating = 98.2 ± 52.5, non-lactating= 60.2 ± 54.2), zinc (lactating = 14.64 ± 7.28, non-lactating = 8.08±8.53), selenium (lactating=30.4±22.3, non-lactating=4.12±7.64) and dietary fiber (lactating=41.3±19.5, non-lactating=20.4±15.5) were significantly different. CONCLUSION: Growth pattern of both breast-fed and formula-fed infants were not significantly different. Energy intake, percentage energy intake and intake of macronutrients & micronutrients are more in lactating mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the pattern of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) use in medical wards. Study Design: Prospective observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of medical post graduate medical institute, study for 24 weeks, from 01 Nov 2014. Material and Methods: One thousand eight hundred consecutive patients admitted in medical wards and emergency department were enrolled and followed during hospital stay and their discharge slips were analyzed without intervention in the management protocol of different primary consultants. Results: Results were analyzed on SPSS version 20. Out of 1800 patients, 53.3% (n=960) were males and 46.7% (n=840) females, 72.6% (n=1306) had been prescribed PPIs. Major indications for the use of PPI were stress ulcer prophylaxis (32.5%), upper G.I bleeding (20.0%), acid peptic disease (12.5%), patients of GERD (8.1%) and NSAID use (7.5%). In 19.3% patients, indication of PPI use was not mentioned. Out of the admitted patients 57.7% patients were prescribed inject-able and 42.3% were given oral PPIs. There were 77.9% (n=1018) patients prescribed PPIs on discharge slips while duration of treatment and indication for their use were not mentioned on discharge slips for 66.3% (n=866) and 72.3% (n=944) patients, respectively. Conclusion: PPIs are over used without clear indications in hospitalized and discharged patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field trial was done on a medium textured soil to notice the return of wheat crop to model based applied fertilizer B. For this idea, B adsorption isotherm of the soil was developed at the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during 2013-14. Adsorption procedure was done by harmonizing 2.5g soil in 0.01M CaCl2 solution having diverse B doses (0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.11, 0.13,0.15 and 0.17 mg B L-1). Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were applied to the data to check the sorption of B on sandy clay loam soil. Freundlich model depicted superior fitness of the sorption (r2=0.99) statistics than Langmuir model (r2=0.75). Ten B treatments (0, 0.47, 0.81, 1.42, 1.57, 1.95, 2.35, 2.66, 3.1, 3.3 kg ha-1) were applied with recommended N, P and K doses. Boron was applied at sowing time as basal dose. The results showed that there was a positive effect of fertilizer B on grains spike-1, 1000-grain weight and grain turn out however, the vegetative growth i.e. plant height, tillering and total biomass were affected non-significantly in response to B application. Regarding chemical analysis concentration of boron in both wheat straw and grains increased with B application but there was no effect of fertilizer B on NPK concentration of straw and grains. These results are very heartening; signifying that for any soil, B adsorption isotherm need to be worked out for location precise fertilizer B use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot experiment was designed to assess the effect of southern blight pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. on growth, yield, qualitative gene expression and metal uptake in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Soil was spiked with 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm of Cu(II) and inoculated with S. rolfsii. Growth, biomass and yield of pea plants were significantly declined by 10-70% in treatments inoculated with S. rolfsii, and 10-50% due to different concentrations of Cu(II) alone or combined with the pathogen after 30 and 60 days of growth. Cu(II) uptake capacity of pea plants were increased under combine stress of metal and pathogen as compared to metal alone. Higher metal concentration was recorded in roots than in shoots and pods. Expression of defensin like gene was intense due to combined influence of S. rolfsii and Cu(II) than in plants under pathogenic stress alone. Metallothionein gene was expressed only in Cu(II)-incorporated treatments. The present study concludes that solitary influence of S. rolfsii or Cu was more detrimental to growth and yield of P. sativum as compared to combined stress of both the factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candidatus portiera aleyrodidarum is an obligate primary endosymbiont harboured by whiteflies including the cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). A survey of C. portiere endosymbionts was conducted by using polymerase chain reaction with universal primers for 16SrDNA within Pakistani whitefly population collected from different cotton growing areas of the Punjab, further analysed by cloning of the PCR products, RFLP analysis. Finally sequences were obtained from commercial labs and phylogenetic analysis were done of all the detected C. portiera clones. This is the first report regarding the identification of C. protiera from the Pakistan. The C. portiera was detected almost in all the samples of whiteflies from 16 different locations of Punjab, Pakistan. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the primary endosymbionts, their host specificity and their diversity across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare variety of extra nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma that reportedly involves leptomeninges, the brain, spinal cord, eyes, or may involve other organs systemically. We present a case of 46-yearold woman with complaints of headache and fever for three weeks, associated with right-sided weakness & altered state of consciousness for one week. The most common presentation of primary central nervous lymphoma is diffuse or multifocal supratentorial masses causing cognitive deterioration and involvement of vitreous, retina, and optic nerve. Most cases of PCNSL are left undiagnosed due to uncommon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective: To look for the associative factors in avoidance of exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding among mothers after lower segment Caesarean section. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Paediatrics department, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Oct to Mar 2020. Methodology: Mothers bringing their infants for vaccination at six weeks of age with babies born with lower segment caesarean section were included in the study. They were asked simple questions regarding exclusive or nonexclusive breastfeeding. Relevant sociodemographic factors were also recorded and compared among mothers breastfeeding their babies and those avoiding it. Results: A total of 500 mothers were included in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 33.576±9.174 years. 336(67.2%) women were primiparous, while 164(32.8%) were multiparous. 208(41.6%) women were actively breastfeeding their child, while 292(58.4%) avoided breastfeeding their babies. 150(72.1%) women were nonexclusively breastfeeding, while 58(27.9%) showed an exclusive breastfeeding pattern. Pearson chi-square test revealed that low education and working outside the home had a statistically significant association with the avoidance of breastfeeding the babies among our target population (p-value <0.05). Conclusion: Avoidance of breastfeeding was a common finding after six weeks of birth among women who delivered the babies via lower segment caesarean section. Mothers with low education and duties to work outside the home were more at risk of avoiding this highly beneficial practice for the baby. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bauxite is heterogeneous material principally composed of aluminum oxide minerals and found in all continents. It is being used in chemical, cement, refractory, abrasive, fertilizer, steel and other industries. In order to extract the alumina, the calcined samples of bauxite of Khushab area were ground to -710 μm. Sulphuric acid of purity 40% was used as leaching agent and slurry of pulp density 14% was prepared by dissolving 60 ml acid in 20 gm sample. The leaching was carried out at 90°C for 2 hours. The iron impurity was removed by ethanol of purity 68%. The drying, dehydration and desulphurization temperatures were kept 105°C, 450°C and 850°C respectively in all the stages of the process. Alumina recoveries from four samples of Sultan Mehdhi, Chamil More, Niaz Mine and Nadi locations were 20.8%, 9.81%, 15.47% and 7.78% respectively. Iron was almost completely removed as the analysis shows that the Fe2O3 removal was from 97.8% to 99.6%. It is concluded that leaching efficiency was quite encouraging except Nadi ore sample. However the iron free alumina recoveries were low as the analysis of Fe2O3 processed residue shows that it contains 72.72% to 92.94% of leached alumina in all the four experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies were carried out on thymol as a controlling agent for bee mites. In this study thymol powder (5mg hive-1) was compared with formic acid 65% and fluvalinate (strip) as standard control measure against Varroa mite. The mite mortality rate was recorded in honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera during 2011-12 at research farm of Beekeeping and Hill Fruit Pests Research Station, Rawalpindi. Analysis of variance for different treatments indicated (F=3.64, F>P=0.15) significantly different effect among treatments as well as for the control of mite. The average efficacy of thymol was 73.72% as compared to 69.21% by fluvalinate, 72.23% by formic acid and 13.1% in control. The reduction in the effectiveness of fluvalinate may be attributed to the development of resistance against fluvalinate strip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]